#tranquil abiding

[dancingdakini]

It is very difficult to gain any realizations at all if our meditational practices are constantly interrupted. If we want to attain the state of tranquil abiding in which we can develop true single-pointedness of mind, we shall be unable to do so if we meditate for a month, abandon our practice and then resume it a few months later. No practice done in such a fitful manner will ever bear fruit. We cannot bring water to a boil if we are forever turning the heat on and off. Just as the stove should be kept at a constant temperature, so too should our meditational practices be steady and continuous.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - "Meaningful to Behold"

[dancingdakini]

The suppleness of superior seeing and the suppleness of tranquil abiding are alike in that they are both supplenesses, but they differ with respect to their causes. The suppleness of tranquil abiding is principally induced by concentration, whereas the suppleness of superior seeing is principally induced by wisdom. The nature of analytical meditation is wisdom and the nature of placement meditation is concentration. Superior seeing is so called because a meditator who has attained superior seeing sees the nature of the observed object more clearly and hence in a way superior to the way in which it is seen by a meditator who has attained only tranquil abiding.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - "Joyful Path of Good Fortune"

[dancingdakini]

The four attentions

Attention is an all-accompanying mental factor that functions to move, direct, and focus the mind single-pointedly on its object. There are four types of attention:

1) tight attention

2) interrupted attention

3) uninterrupted attention

4) spontaneous attention

When we are training in tranquil abiding these four attentions arise naturally at the right times; we do not need to make a special effort to cultivate them.

[dancingdakini]

The six forces

The six forces are methods for attaining and improving the nine mental abidings. These are:

1) the force of listening

2) the force of contemplating

3) the force of mindfulness

4) the force of alertness

5) the force of effort

6) the force of complete familiarity

[dancingdakini]

The nine mental abidings

To attain tranquil abiding we need to gain in succession nine levels of concentration on one object. These are:

1) placing the mind - we find our object and focus our mind on it. We have more distractions than concentration during our meditation session at this stage.

2) continual placement - we are able to hold our object of meditation single-pointedly for about five minutes. We still have many distractions, but less than on the first level. When we lose the object, we need to return to analytical meditation to find it again.

3) replacement - when we lose the object, we can immediately pick it back up again without returning to analytical meditation. Our mindfulness is much stronger and we can meditate for an hour without ever completely losing our object.

4) close placement - we do not forget our object of meditation at any time during the session.

5) controlling - there is no danger of mental excitement or gross mental sinking, but we develop subtle mental sinking when our mind becomes too inwardly gathered. We apply alertness to overcome the obstacle of subtle mental sinking.

6) pacifying - there is no danger of mental sinking or gross mental excitement, but we develop subtle mental excitement due to overapplication of the remedy to mental sinking on the level of controlling. We apply alertness to overcome the obstacle of subtle mental excitement.

7) completely pacifying - we have perfected the powers of mindfulness and alertness, and there is no great danger of subtle mental sinking or subtle mental excitement. If either obstacle arises it can immediately be eliminated through the power of effort.

8) single-pointedness - it is impossible for any mental sinking or mental excitement to develop during meditation. We can focus and remain single-pointedly on our object as long as we like, but we still need to exert effort to maintain concentration.

9) placement in equipoise - concentration is effortless to sustain and comes naturally and spontaneously. Only Buddhas have completed the perfection of effort and can accomplish all tasks effortlessly.

[dancingdakini]

When we meditate on subjects we do analytical meditation to transform our mind into that subject, and then we hold that mind single-pointedly in placement meditation. We begin by actually transforming our mind into its object, such as equanimity, compassion, or bodhichitta, and then we maintain and enhance that mind by means of concentration. In this case we never think of the object as external to us. Our mind is actually turning into its object rather than just observing it. When the state of mind that is our object of concentration becomes spontaneous and continuous, at the same time we have attained tranquil abiding.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - "Joyful Path of Good Fortune"

[dancingdakini]

In "King of Concentration Sutra" it is recommended that we take the form of a Buddha as our object of concentration. If we focus upon the form of a Buddha, even if our concentration is not clear we shall develop special virtuous potentialities, accumulate merit, and purify negativities. If we have become very familiar with the form of a Buddha, keeping it always in mind, we shall remember it at the time of our death and we shall definitely attain a higher rebirth.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - "Joyful Path of Good Fortune"

[dancingdakini]

The object of meditation

Buddha taught four types of meditation objects suitable to take as our object of tranquil abiding:

1) pervasive objects - also known as the two truths, conventional truths and ultimate truths. They pervade all objects of tranquil abiding meditation.

2) objects for abandoning individual delusions - opponents to specific delusions, such as thinking about the repulsiveness of something to remove desirous attachment, impermanence for those who suffer from anxiety concerning the welfare of this life, love to remove anger, etc.

3) object for abandoning delusions in general - this is emptiness. By meditating on emptiness we can abandon self-grasping, the root of all delusions.

4) objects for scholars - these objects improve both our wisdom and concentration when we concentrate on them. Examples are meditating on the five aggregates, the eighteen elements, the twelve sources, the twelve dependent-related links, and the two truths.